THE Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Center of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) appealed to firecrackers and pyrotechnics makers to refrain from hiring children and to follow safety measures to avoid accidents.

OSH Center Executive Director Dr. Dulce P. Estrella-Gust said that children should be kept away from any hazardous and dangerous activities and poverty should not be an excuse.

Dole 7 Assistant Director Exequiel Sarcauga said that it is important that a person must have the ability to discern what is hazardous and dangerous, and definitely the children do not have this ability.

Reminder

Sarcauga said that because Christmas season is fast-approaching, makers of firecrackers and pyrotechnics must be reminded of their social responsibility in barring children from their factories.

Sarcauga earlier reported that there were five work-related accidents in 2007 with five deaths and another five in 2008 with nine fatalities.

He said these accidents happened in mining and quarry, construction, manufacturing (including pyrotechnics) and transportation.

Programs

According to Sarcauga and Estrella-Gust, Dole’s Zero Accident program (ZAP), which they believe will be the key to safe, healthy and productive workplaces, can be achieved if everybody will cooperate and follow the security and health measures.

Sarcauga said they want 100 percent compliance of the requirements under the labor standards on safety measures, which are placed at 30 to 50 percent only.

Sarcauga and Estrella-Gust said they will also enter a partnership with schools because of potential hazards found in many areas such as inside classrooms, school premises, in the immediate environment, or while commuting.

Accidents

Estrella-Gust said that school-related accidents can happen to students, teaching staff and non-teaching employees of the school and may even occur during school outings, school parties and other social activities.

“Safety concerns are usually priority of schools but are most often limited to specific matters such as fire safety and road safety,” Estrella-Gust said.

She said that considering the wide scope of initiatives for making schools free from hazards, school health and safety programs have yet to adopt a more comprehensive strategy. (EOB)

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(November 21, 2008 issue)
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